Rotary engine.



PATBNTBD DEC. 5, 1905.

W. A. SHEAHAN.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 13, 1902.

- I PATENTED DEC. 5, 1905. W. A. SHEAHANL ROTARY ENGINE.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY.13, 1 902.

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WILLIAM A. SHEAHAN, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR- TO SHEAHAN ROTARY ENGINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF JERSEY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

Application filed May 13, 1902. Serial No. 107,111.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. SHEAHAN, a citizen of the United StatesofAmerica. resid ing at Freeport, county of Stephenson, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention has reference to the provision of an improved form of Rotary Engine employing a partiespherical cylinder, in combination with a piston therein of substantially the shape of a spherical sector, and has for its primary object the construction of a motor device of this character in which the spherical sector or piston will have its axis common with the axis of rotation of the shaft of the engine, and in which the engine shaft and piston will be preferably integral, with the steam inlet arranged to pass through the shaft and piston, and in which the radial axis of the parti-spherical cylinder will be oblique to the axis of the shaft, so that the employment of a piston blade mounted in the piston in a slot formed therein, so as to permit of a rocking or oscillating motion of the blade, will provide means for imparting movement to the piston and shaft.

By the combination of the instr umentalities above referred to, I am enabled to provide a Rotary Engine which is capable of attaining I very high speed of rotation with a very low cost for steam, and which will at one and the same time be very cheap and easy to construct, and simple and easy to repair, and which will not be liable to get out of order on account of the simplicity of the mechanism, and the operation of the piston and shaft about a common axis of rotation. 4

- A further object of my invention is the provisionfor use of an improved form of 'sel'foperating valve for a motor, in whichI employ in combination two triangular shaped ports, one in the shaft or valve seat, and one in the sleeve surrounding the shaft or seat, said triangular ports being so disposed relative to each other as that longitudinal movement of the sleeve relative to the shaftor seat will determine with accuracy and reliability the extent of opening of the valve ports, so that the steam may be admitted eitherduring nearly the whole of the rotation of the device, or for any predetermined part thereof, as may be desired. I

The above, as well as such other'objects as may hereinafter appear, I attain by means of a construction which I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aside elevation showing an engine embodying my improvements,

Figure 2 is a view with the cylinder-head removed, showing the interior of the cylinder and the piston, and piston blade in elevation,

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional View on the line 3 of Figure 1,,

Figure 4; is'a perspective View of the piston blade which I employ,

Figure 5 is alongitudinal sectional a vertical plane, and

Figure 6 is a detail showing certain parts of the valve mechanism. 7

Referring first to Figure 1, it will be seen that on a base 7 I mount a couple of uprights or standards 8 and 9, the standard 8 being arranged to carry the partis'ph'erical cylinder 10, which has its head arranged preferably in a plane which is at an angle with reference to the base, and so that the head will be ob- -.l ique to the axis of rotation of the engine shaft 11, which is shown as carrying a couple of pulleys 12 and 13, and mounted to rotate within the stuffing boxes 14, 15, 16, and 17.

Within the cylinder 10 the shaft 11 is pro vided with a rotary piston 18, which is prefer ably integral with the shaft, andc'onstitutes in effect an enlargement of the shaft of the shape shown, carrying within it a groove or channel 19, within which is mounted a piston blade 20, which is adapted to oscillate about the pin 21 within the groove 19,as the rotation of the'shaft view on causes the blade to be rotated with the piston,

and the right hand edge of the blade is in contact with either the inner face of the cylinder- .head 22 orwith the bearing plate 23 of the inner face of the'cylihder-he'ad, which inner face stands in a plane at an oblique angle to the-axial line of the shaft, as shown.

The piston blade 20 is provided witha kind 'of semi-circular projection 24 engaging with the blocks or spring held packing devices 25, to prevent the steamfrom leaking out to the right, and there is also provided on the blade 20 a bearing edge 26, which is adapted to be pressed or held outwardly into contact with the interior of the cylinder wall by means of the centrifugal force, so as to not only make a tight joint between the blade and the inte- "nor of the cylinder, but also at the same time to allow for more or less expansion and contraction between the several parts.

In order to make a tight joint between the inner face of the cylinder-head and the adjacent edge of the piston blade, I provide a half round bearing strip 28, disposed as shown, and provided at its back with a packing strip 29, which is held outwardly or in contact with the bearing strip by means of springs 30.

The piston 18 is provided with packing 31, as shown in Figure 3, for the purpose of making a tight joint' between the piston and the interior of the cylinder. The right hand face v32 ofthe spherical sector which comprises the piston is made of such an angle as to just meet along the radius 33 of the plane of the inner face of the cylinder-head, so that in bearing against the bearing plate 23, it will make a steam tight joint, therewith, and in order to more certainly insure a good fit atthis point adjusting screws 34, with locknuts 35, are provided in the cylinder-head.

From the above, taken in connection with the drawings, it will be evident that the disposal of the parts referred to creates within the partispherical cylinder a steam space or chamber 36, which, from the bearing line along the radius marked 33, where the piston and cylinder-head are tangential and in contact, gradually widens, following around the shaft, until it reaches its widest point at the bottom, and then gradually narrows until it reaches the zero point again along the line 33.

' The inlet port 38 is therefore arranged just at one side of the piston blade, the steam reaching such inlet port through the passage 39, and central opening 40, or passage in the shaft, so that the steam in following the piston blade around has a constantly increasing or ex panding chamber within which to act upon the piston blade, and a constantly increasing area of the bladeupon which to operate until the half blade in front of the steam inlet port reaches the lower half of its rotative movement, from whence the chamber then begins to reduce until itcomes around to the top. The exhaust may be located in the cylinder head in any position relativeto the rotation of the blade, which may be pre'ferred,'it being only necessary that it shall beat such a distance from the inlet port, and in such position as that it y will not be possible for the inlet port and the exhaust port both to be open to the steam chamber at the same-time. In Figure 2 I have indicated in dotted lines the relative location of the inlet and exhaust port, although strictly speaking, since the cylinder-head is removed in this Figure,the exhaust port would not show in this View.

In the construction shown the inlet port follows around immediately behind one half of the piston blade, because the inlet port is situated in the piston head, and thus the-steam acts only upon that half of the piston blade, and the other half should be perforated orv made in a kind of skeleton form, a number of such perforations being indicated in the lower half of the piston blade in Figure 4. If it be desired to make a double acting engine, or one which will not get upon a dead center, all that is necessary is to place two of my piston devices on one shaft, setting the blades at an angle to each other, so that while one is exposing its maximum area to the steam pressure, the other one will be at some other part of the rotative movement.

The inlet to the central passage 40 in the shaft is through a triangular port 41, with which registers another triangular port 42 in a valve-sleeve 43, which surrounds the shaft as shown within a valve-chamber 44, at each side of which are stufiing boxes 14 and 15, the valve-chamber 44 being formed in the casing at the top of the standard 9. The sleeve 43 is arranged to be moved longitudinally relative to the shaft by means of a rack 45 and pinion 46, the latter being mounted upon a shaft 47, upon the upper end of which is ahandle 48 for manipulating the valve.

From an examination of Figure 5 it will be seen that in theposition of the valve parts therein shown no steam can enter the engine, but that as the sleeve 43 is moved to the left the port 41 will register, through a portion of its rotative movement, with the port 42, and some steam will be admitted to the engine, whereas the further movement of the valvesleeve 43 will still further open the port, increasing the length of time or portion of the rotation of the shaft, during which the steam is admitted. The triangular ports are preferably arranged so that each is equal in length to a half the circumference of the shaft, so that all grades of regulation can be secured from Zero to admission for practically the full rotative movement of the shaft, since when the parallel sides of the ports 41 and 42 are near each other, it is obvious steam will continue to be admitted during near the entire revolution of the shaft.

From the above it is obvious that I have so constructed the parts in my improved engine as that they shall act by such amount of cutoff as may be desired, from any point above zero to full stroke, or full revolution. Thus I have produced a simple Rotary Engine, which works the steam expansively, since after the inlet port is cut ofi, as described, the steam in the piston chamber behind the piston blade continues to act upon the piston blade around to the point where it reaches the exhaust port and escapes.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

Assuming that steam be admitted through the passages 40 and 39, it will enter the steam chamber and act against the piston blade, and create a rotative movement thereof around the axis of rotation of the shaft, continuing to act upon the blade until it escapes through the exhaust pipe 40 by the blade passing the ex IIO 'soegaer tation of the same.

From the above it is evident that my device embodies a construction in which the entire operation is practically about a common cen I ter, since the blade oscillates about a central rotation of th'e shaft and piston head, and also the center of movement'of the packing device in the edge of the piston blade. By this means all tendency to vibratory motion or frictional loss is reduced to a minimum, the only relative movement which is not rotative being the oscillating movement of the piston blade rela= tive to the piston head, and this I find to be of such a character as does not produce inateri'al vibration or frictional loss. The pi-s ton blade it will be observed fol-lows around with its edge constantly in contact with the inner side of the cylinder head, passing over the packing plate 23, as already described, which is arranged to stand flush with the in= ner side of the cylinder head, and can be .set inwardly by means of the adjusting devices shown, as it may wear a little because of the contact with it, not only of the edge of the piston blade as it passes over it, but also of the right hand surface of the-spherical sector, which is constantly touching along this radial line.

A ball bearing is provided at 50 to take the end thrust on the shaft, the balls being ar ranged in a ball race, which is-constructed so that the whole can be taken out together Without the balls falling'out of place, this being accomplished by the hooks. 51-, shown in Fig ure 5.

By this construction I have not only pro= vided an engine in which the inlet port is carried around to follow the blade in the motion of the piston, and all leakage along the pieton shaft and behind the piston itself is ehviated by reason of the peculiarshape of the slot 19, but I have provided an intermittent inlet valve which is self operating and there= fore allows of the engine working eXpansivel-y under the pressure of the steam through a part of its stroke. Also the location of the exhaust or outlet port in the headof the cyl-v inder obviates the possibility of a dead center in the engine and allows for easy provision for a double action engine as described; The taking up of the backward thrust of the vane or piston blade by means of the pivot'point 12 rather than by its resting upon the bottom of the slot 19 in the piston, is also of a great advantage as it obviates much of the friction of theengine. The compound-motion of rotationj combined with that-of simultaneous edge of the blade upon the piston head and I have obviated the effect of imperfect contact with the cylinder head from this cause by the provision of the rocking bearing bead 28 set in the face edge of the piston blade as above described.

Where I have hereinabove referred to a partis' herieal cylinder, I desire it to be understood that I mean a cylinder which is only i a part of a sphere, since it is obvious that it point which is at the same time the center of I is not essential that an entirely spherical or entirely hemispherical cylinder should be used. The piston sector for example at the back end could be out off nearer to the right hand surface, and still the device would operate 'so long as the groove or slot within which the oscillating blade is housed was of sulficient width to cover the blade at all points of its oscillation.

It is-ob'vions that this machine, by reversal, could be used as a pump or compressor as well as an engine. 1

Having.v thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An engine comprising a rotary slotted piston, an oscillating piston blade operating in said slot inthe piston, a cylinder having an inclined head in contact with one radial line of said piston and with the edge of the piston blade, and means for introducing the "pres sure fluid through atraveling port in the pis ton behind said blade, substantially as described.

2. In a rotary engine apiston provided with spherical-sector piston, the radial axis of the.

spherical ector being common with the axis of the shaft of the engine,- and a steam-inlet port in the piston traveling around withthe piston, substantially as described. v

5. A rotary engine comprising the combination of a partispherical cylinder, a shaft, a spherical sector piston, an oscillating blade,

said piston and blade having a common center i of motion,- and an inlet port carried by said piston in the rear of said blade, substantially as described. a

6; An engine comprising a partispheri'cal e linderhaving an inclined head, a rotating piston in said cylinder acneshaped tomake tangential contact with the'head of the cylinder on one line, a retractile blade slotted in the piston, and a movable port for introducing the actuating fluid behind the blade.

7. A rotary engine having a rotary piston, a partispherical cylinder with an inclined head, and provision for introducing the motive fluid through the axis of the revolving piston, the outlet of the said port being movable with respect to the contact point between the cylinder head and the piston.

8. A rotary engine comprising a partispherical cylinder, a cone-shaped revolving piston, an inclined head to the cylinder in contact with said conical piston on one line, a retractile piston blade slotted in the piston, said piston having an inlet port for the motive fluid movable with respect to the contact line between the cylinder head and the revolving piston.

9. In a rotary engine the combination with a partispherical cylinder, a rotary shaft and piston, and inclined head to the cylinder having an exhaust port, a conical face to the piston in contact on one line with the cylinder head, and a traveling port for the entrance of the motive fluid provided in the face of said piston.

10. In a rotary engine a partispherical cylinder having aplane head provided with an exhaust port, a rotating cylinder and shaft with axisat an angle to the cylinder head, said piston having a conical face in contact with the cylinder head and being provided with an oscillating blade slotte d in the piston, and means for introducing motive fluid periodically between the blade and the tangential contact line between the cylinder head and the piston.

11. In a rotary engine the combination of a casing having a flat face, a conical rotary piston with the cone in contact with said face, a pivoted and rotating retractile blade in said piston, apassage in the shaft of the piston and an inlet port for the motive fluid communicating periodically with the passage in the piston and escaping behind said blade, substantially as described. Y

12. In a rotary engine the combination with apartispherical cylinder havinga plane head, of a rotary conical piston in said cylinder having its axis at an angle to the cylinder head, an oscillating piston blade slotted in the piston to cooperate with the cylinder head and an'exhaust port in the cylinder head, and a traveling inlet port for the motive fluid through the face of the rotating piston, substantially as described.

13. In a rotary engine the combination with a'partispherical cylinder having a plane head,

of a blade in said cylinder pivotally mounted upon an axis rotating in a plane at an acute angle to the cylinder head. 7

14. In a rotary engine the combination of a cylinder, a driving shaft, a cylinder head set at an angle to the axis of the shaft, arotating piston on said shaft having a retractile blade pivotal'ly mounted in a slot in the piston and rotating in a plane at an angle to the axis of rotation of the driving shaft.

15. The combination of asubstantially hemispherical shaped cylinder, a driving shaft, a piston on the shaft of substantially the same contour as the cylinder and provided with a su bstantially cone-shaped face of an obtuse angle, a transverse slot therein, a head secured to the cylinder at an angle to the axis of the shaft and in contact with an element of the conical piston and a blade mounted in the slot of the piston and in contact with the inner face of the cylinder head adapted to rotate parallel to the face of such cylinder head and an inlet port through said piston behind the said blade, substantially as described.

16. In a rotary engine the combination of a cylinder having a plane head at an angle to the axis of rotation of the piston, a slotted piston and a piston blade mounted upon a pivot and supported on said piston by means of a pin and rotating against the cylinder head and oscillating with respect to the axis of the cylinder and shaft, substantially as described.

17. In a rotary engine the combination with a partispherieal cylinder having a plane head set at an angle to the axis of the piston, a piston in said cylinder rotating about a line at an angle to the' cylinder head and having a retractile blade therein to cooperate with the cylinder head, an inlet port, an outlet port in the cylinder head, and means for intermittently admitting the motive fluid,su bstantially as described.

18. In a rotary engine having a partispherical cylinder and a plane head and a rotating piston provided with an oscillating retractile piston blade, an adjustable bearing plate set in the cylinder head for cooperation with the contacting element of the conical piston, substantially as described.

19. In a rotary engine provided with a partispherical cylinder and a rotating and oscillating piston blade therein, a bearing plate for said piston blade slotted into the edge of the blade and having adjustable bearing edge for contact with the walls of the cylinder.

20. In a rotary engine having a rotary piston in a partispherical cylinder, a plane head for said cylinder and a pivot for suspending the piston blade upon the end of the piston, substantially as described.

21. In a rotary engine the combination with a flat faced casing and a rotating conical piston pivoted therein, of a pivoted rotating and oscillating piston blade mounted in the piston, a movable inlet port for the actuating fluid, and a self-operating valve formed by a slot and passage in the shaft of the piston cooperating with a slot in the sleeve of the piston shaft, substantially as described.

22. In a rotary engine the combination with a rotating piston having a rotating and oscillating piston blade and a port in the piston for introducing motive fluid behind said blade, of an inlet valve comprising two triangular ports one in the rotating shaft of the piston and the other ina sleeve surrounding said shaft with means for adjusting the intake of the same, substantially as described.

23. In a rotary engine the combination with a partispherical cylinder having a plane head set at an angle with the vertical; of a rotating piston provided with a retractile blade in contact with said piston head and cooperating therewith on one side of the center of the piston to form an inclosed space for the expansion of steam and means to admit steam and cut 01f before the exhaust opens. substantially as described.

24. In a rotary engine in combination with a partispherical cylinder having an inclined head and a rotating piston with a conical face in contact on one element with said head, and an exhaust port in the cylinder head near the said point of contact and an inlet port arranged to cut offso that the steam works expansively.

25. In a rotary engine the combination with a partispherical cylinder having a plane head inclined at an angle to the vertical, of a rotating piston and shaft said piston being slotted and provided with a retractile blade'whose front edge cooperates with the inclined head of the cylinder to give the said blade an oscillating motion through the said slot, while the rotary motion of the piston blade is imparted nesses.

WILLIAM A. SHEAHAN. Witnesses:

PAUL CARPENTER. PHILIP J. FINNEGAN. 

